Competition to build the Navy's MQ-25 flying tanker shows how drone fighters are taking on new roles
The U.S. military has come to rely on drones for surveillance, reconnaissance and attack. Soon, another job will be added to the list: refueling aircraft in midair.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co. and General Atomics are all vying for a U.S. Navy contract to build the MQ-25 Stingray, an unmanned aerial tanker that will be launched via catapult from a carrier deck. The contract, which does not yet have a set dollar amount, is to be awarded this summer.
Much of the work is being done in Southern California - at Lockheed Martin's famed Skunk Works unit in
